Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Patience is a virtue







Even after the sun is up it takes a while before the rays break over the steep mountains that surround Juchatengo. In spite of this, the wood fires are burning and the stacks of sugar cane and coconuts are readied for a day of receiving pilgrims. Most traffic on the road is pilgrim related and while spirits are high most heads are down working hard at conquering the final big climb before Cerro de Vidrio.

You think the hard work is over when you reach the junction at Cerro de Vidrio, but there is still more to come once we turn off the main road. Yes, it is downhill into Juquila, but, after the daggers that were furiously hurled at us from the exhausted eyes of our first pilgrimage group, we learned that the part that proceeds the downhill should be more accurately described as a little more severe than the flippant "rolling up hill" label we originally gave this section of road. So, it's a continued tough ride up some suprisingly steep segements before this ride finally drops down dramatically into a carnival of religious activity that can be almost as challenging to wade through with a fully loaded bike as it is to pedal it over the mountains that brought us here. Any feedback on this from past riders???

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